Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka has once again made headlines for his animated on-field interactions with his team’s captain. After LSG’s eight-wicket loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2025 season at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on April 1 (Tuesday), Goenka was spotted having a prolonged and a seemingly intense conversation with skipper Rishabh Pant. The incident brought back memories of a similar exchange he had with former LSG captain KL Rahul, sparking social media outrage.
LSG faced their second defeat in three matches so far in the ongoing Indian Premier League edition. Despite boasting a strong squad, LSG’s batting lineup struggled, managing only 171/7—a total PBKS chased down with ease. The loss saw LSG slip further down the points table, sparking concerns over the team’s form and Rishabh Pant’s leadership.
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After the defeat, Goenka first greeted Shreyas Iyer with a warm hug and engaged in a lengthy conversation. However, his interaction with Rishabh Pant was far less friendly, as cameras captured Goenka pointing his finger at the struggling captain in a tense exchange. Fans drew parallels between this discussion and the past LSG captain KL Rahul controversy, where franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka had a heated exchange with Rahul during IPL 2025—an incident speculated to be a factor in Rahul’s decision to leave the team.
Important to note, while netizens criticised Goenka’s behavior towards Pant, there was no clear evidence suggesting that he was upset with the LSG skipper after the defeat.
Here’s a look at a few social media reactions on Sanjiv Goenka’s post-match exchange with Rishabh Pant:
“Hum top 4 se girke CSK MI ke beech aa gaye.”
“Captaincy dete time Aapne hi toh bola tha LSG ko CSK-MI ke paas le jana.” pic.twitter.com/1Eu9W183LK
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) April 1, 2025
Sanjiv Goenka started abusing Rishabh Pant in the Dressing Room after losing LSG vs PBKS IPL match again.#SanjivGoenka #RishabhPant #LSGvPBKS #IPL2025 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qlJsiGtyaV
— 🏏 (@Crickaith) April 1, 2025
Goenka be like: Gussa toh bahut aa rha h tujh pr, pr kya karu Public dkh rhi h !!#LSGvsPBKS #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/Dmg25fmMdj
— Cricket Adda (@Aslicricketer23) April 1, 2025
Never seen a bigger clown than Goenka if your team going through a bad phase , your team members needs support not scolding
You never be like MI’s owner or CSK’s owner @DrSanjivGoenka pic.twitter.com/HFhlOACwM6
— FIRE⁴⁵ 2.0 (@RagingFire_45) April 1, 2025
Meanwhile, Pant is already under scrutiny for his underwhelming batting performances and debatable captaincy choices. With LSG’s bowling attack further weakened by injuries to key players like Mayank Yadav, Akash Deep, and Shamar Joseph, the pressure is mounting on Pant, the most expensive player in IPL history, to turn things around quickly.
